And the nominees are…

The first annual Steamtown Music Awards will take place Friday, Oct. 10, at the V Spot in Scranton and serve as a kickoff event for the 2014 Electric City Music Conference’s weekend-long music festival. Aimed at honoring the region’s musical talent, the event hopes to strengthen the local music scene by providing a night where local musicians can appreciate each other.

A complete list of the nominees and instructions for voting for your favorite local artist can be found by visiting electriccitymusicconference.com.

Weekender asked artists nominated for Top 40/Pop Act of the Year, Male Vocalist and Female Vocalist of the Year what their pre-show rituals are. This is what some of the nominees said.

Top 40/Pop Act of the Year

Nowhere Slow

Lightweight

Kohn

Black Tie Stereo – “Before a show we just try to keep things light and enjoyable so that we have great positive energy on stage, which we hope translates into a great night for both us and the crowd.”

Ablaze

Male Vocalist of the Year

Ed Cuozzo – “Pray that I don’t f — k up.”

Dan Rosler

Eric Katchmore – “I always take the 15 minutes before we go on to stretch out, smoke a cigarette, be alone and try to get into my own head. I think about every song we’ll play and what I wrote them about so I can bring those emotions to the stage with me. I treat that time like the waiting room of a therapist office.”

Bret Alexander

John Phillips

Female Vocalist of the Year

Rosaleen Eastman – “My ritual before a show is terribly domestic. I rush home to let the dog out.”

Melissa Krahnke – “My pre-show ritual consists of Windex wiping my piano keys and peeing. Not at the same time.”

Candi Vee

Katie Kelly – “Usually before a show I’m full of excitement as well as stage fright. A few hours before the show I turn off all the lights and listen to music through headphones. The second I get on stage, all the fear is gone.”